Fallsburg flower flap's a thorny election issue

Saturday

Oct 27, 2007 at 2:00 AM

South Fallsburg — A dozen red roses showed up Oct. 16 on Steve and Ellen Levine's doorstep. The unsigned card, addressed to Steve Levine, who is Fallsburg's supervisor and in a re-election race, baffled them: It Was Wonderful Seeing You Again. Thanks For Everything!!! You Really Rock My World!! "nobody Does It Better" Xoxox. If somebody thought that was going to shake us up, Ellen Levine said, "they don't know our marriage." The motive, they believe, was politics.

The unsigned card, addressed to Steve Levine, who is Fallsburg's supervisor and in a re-election race, baffled them:

It Was Wonderful Seeing You Again. Thanks For Everything!!! You Really Rock My World!! "nobody Does It Better" Xoxox

If somebody thought that was going to shake us up, Ellen Levine said, "they don't know our marriage." The motive, they believe, was politics.

"We had a heads-up that at one of the Republican meetings they were discussing causing trouble between me and my wife," Steve Levine said. "We didn't think much of it, and then these flowers showed up."

"This is below the belt," Ellen Levine said.

The 1-800 phone flower service that took the order told the Levines they couldn't reveal the sender's name. Baker's, the local florist, said they could get the name by filing a police complaint.

The Levines got the name from police on Tuesday: Michelle Mayher. A Google search led them to Mayher, town clerk for Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

By Wednesday night, they learned she is the sister of Ken DeMars, a Conservative running against Levine on the Republican and Working Families lines. Levine, a Democrat, is endorsed by Democrats and Conservatives.

Via e-mail, Mayher declined to comment on the rose matter.

DeMars said he knew nothing about this until Wednesday.

"My sister says she didn't do it," DeMars said.

The real issue, DeMars claims, is a Freedom of Information Law request his sister filed last month for records on the $400,000 Small Cities grant that helped turn the old ambulance building in South Fallsburg into a senior center.

The grant was originally for the old Laurel Avenue high school. Structural problems led the town to move the project.

"Just as I am coming upon the deadline for my request to be fulfilled, my brother tells me I am being accused of harassment," Mayher said by e-mail.

Fallsburg police said the "flower flap" isn't a fabrication, but if the Levines want to take the complaint further, they'll have to call the sheriff's office or state police. The town cops want to avoid political intrigue.

The Levines say they won't pursue a complaint for "something as stupid as this." They just don't like the tactic.

"You don't run an election like this. You run an election on issues," Levine said.

John LiGreci, the Sullivan County Republican chairman, denounced the roses and note.

"The Fallsburg and county Republican parties do not agree with what happened, nor do we condone what was done," LiGreci said. "This is not the way the Republican Party works. We do things with class and respect, and we condemn anyone that was responsible for doing this."